Manchester City takes a step closer to Champions League quarter-finals

Manchester City did not encounter any major difficulties as they swept aside German club Borussia Monchengladbach 0-2 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 encounter on Wednesday.

Despite managing to put together a 19-match winning streak, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola still thinks there is room for improvement. He says that there is a need to be "more clinical," if they want to make it all the way to the title.

The Premier League side is gunning for its first UEFA Champions League title, and Guardiola has long been pegged to be the man to take them there. Their campaign is definitely on track so far, now that they have one foot in the door of the quarter-finals.

The Sky Blues controlled the game from the beginning, with Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus lighting up the scoreboard in Budapest.

Silva gave Manchester City the lead in the first half via a vicious header off Joao Cancelo's cross. After the break, Silva and Cancelo teamed up again to set up a perfect opportunity for Jesus to double the lead.

Gladbach now has a mountain to climb, with City holding on to two crucial away goals. The German side will have to manufacture a massive comeback when they travel to Manchester on March 16.

Meanwhile, defending champions Bayern Munich are holding Germany's flag aloft, as they too, are halfway through to the quarter-finals. They thrashed Lazio 1-4 on Tuesday, and are determined to achieve back-to-back titles in Europe's most prestigious club competition.

British media are calling City favourites to win this year's competition, but Bayern Munich is proving that there is still a long road to the final. Guardiola himself admits that when he looks at the title holders, he isn't inclined to think that his team is in pole position. Nevertheless, he welcomes the assessment, but only wants to look at things one match as a time.

If not the Champions League, there is much success to be had domestically as well, with City currently leading the league table with a 10-point margin.